JP2008205875A - Communication management apparatus, communication management method, communication management program, and communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication management apparatus, a communication management method, a communication management program and a communication system to stop only the data not managed from being transmitted. <P>SOLUTION: A data monitor 108 analyses data demodulated by a modulator-demodulator 109 after they are received by an antenna 110. A radio communication apparatus which is not permitted to participate in a network managed by an own station and the radio communication apparatus transmitting the data whose transmission right is not managed at the own station are detected. The data transmission is forcibly stopped to the radio communication apparatus detected by the data monitor 108. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication management apparatus, a communication management method, and a communication management program for managing a plurality of streams transmitted and received between a plurality of communication terminals. The present invention also relates to a communication system in which transmission / reception of a plurality of streams is managed by the communication management apparatus and communication management method.

  In recent years, wireless transmission technologies such as wireless LAN (Local Area Network) standardized by the IEEE 802.11 standard are becoming widespread in offices and homes in order to improve the troublesomeness of wiring and low mobility. . Since this wireless LAN is an extension of a normal wired LAN, it is suitable for data transfer applications such as data file transfer and web access between PCs (Personal Computers). Recently, it is widely used for wireless LAN cards for notebook PCs, wireless LAN access points (APs), and the like.

  Recently, in order to transmit real-time data such as a moving picture stream with high quality, a communication quality (QoS of QoS) control is possible on a wireless LAN. As a wireless LAN standard that enables this QoS control, there are the IEEE 802.11e standard and the IEEE 802.11n standard that includes this IEEE 802.11e standard. In the IEEE802.11e standard and the IEEE802.11n standard, in order to realize QoS control, as an access control method, EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access), HCCA (Hybrid Coordination Function Controlled Channel Access), and HEMM (HCCA) that selectively uses them are used. EDCA mixed mode).

  In each access control method, the EDCA method is a distributed control method, and the HCCA method is a central control method. In the EDCA method, each wireless communication device (QoS STAtion: QSTA) can access the channel stochastically, whereas in the HCCA method, access to the channel of each wireless communication device (QSTA) is central. It is managed by a control station (QoS Access Point: QAP). In addition, the HEMM system normally performs channel access using the HCCA system, but performs channel access using the EDCA system when a dedicated communication time is exceeded during data communication.

  When the HCCA method is used among these access control methods, the QSTA performs negotiation (Add Traffic Stream processing: ADDTS processing) specifying a desired communication quality with the QAP before starting data communication. At this time, if the data communication is permitted by the QAP, the QoS is secured for the permitted data communication (ADDTS management state), and the QSTA can perform the data communication with the specified communication quality. become able to.

  On the other hand, in the EDCA method, depending on the transmission priority (priority), ADDTS processing via QAP may be performed. That is, before data communication, QSTA performs ADDTS processing specifying QAP and EDCA methods. When the data communication is permitted by the QAP, the permitted data communication enters the ADDTS management state, and the QSTA can perform the data communication using the designated EDCA method. At this time, the ADDTS management state of each data communication is managed by the QAP. However, unlike the HCCA method, the transmission right of each data communication is probabilistically acquired by each QSTA.

  As described above, in the EDCA system, the wireless communication device (QAP) that manages the ADDTS management state is different from the wireless communication device (QSTA) that acquires the transmission right. Therefore, even when the ADDTS process is not performed or when the ADDTS process is not successful or when a status error described later occurs, the QSTA can acquire the transmission right and perform data communication outside the ADDTS management. . When data is transmitted by data communication not managed by this ADDTS process, this data is unmanaged data for QAP and acts as an interference wave that hinders data transmission / reception for QAP and other QSTAs. .

  Here, a case where a status error occurs will be briefly described. In the EDCA system, the IEEE802.11e standard and the IEEE802.11n standard include a DELTS (Delete Traffic Stream) process that allows the QAP to end the ADDTS management state of data communication without agreement of the QSTA. However, if the propagation path state is poor during DELTS processing and a DELTS frame from QAP is not received by QSTA, QAP has performed DELTS processing, but QSTA still recognizes that the ADDTS management state is managed by QAP There may be a status trap.

In order to prevent other data communication from interfering, in a point-to-multipoint optical communication system, a slave station where an abnormality has occurred on the master station side is identified, and a forced stop signal is sent to the slave station. What is sent out has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). When this technology is applied to a wireless LAN, a QSTA performing data communication outside QAP management is identified on the QAP side, and a forced stop signal is sent to this QSTA. Thereby, it is possible to stop the communication operation of the QSTA performing data communication outside the QAP management, and it is possible to stop the data communication that works as an interference wave.
JP 2002-359596 A

  However, when the technique of Patent Document 1 is applied, the QSTA that has received the forced stop signal from the QAP is stopped from the entire signal transmission operation. Therefore, when it is desired to restore data communication, it can be recovered only by a process such as resetting the power supply, not a process of transmitting / receiving a control signal to / from another station. Therefore, it is necessary for the user to operate the QSTA again, which is not convenient.

  In addition, since all transmission operations of QSTA are stopped, even normal data communication without failure is stopped. Thus, for example, when one QSTA is performing data communications A and B, there is a status error related to ADDTS processing for data communications A, but data communications B is being performed normally. Even if it exists, the transmission operation of QSTA is stopped. As a result, not only the data communication A but also the data communication B is stopped for transmission by QSTA, so that the normal data communication B communication is also stopped.

  In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a communication management device, a communication management method, a communication management program, and a communication system that can stop transmission of only transmission data that is not in a communication management state. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, the communication management apparatus of the present invention manages whether or not a plurality of communication apparatuses that perform data communication within a network managed by the local station can participate in the network, and to the network. In the communication management device that negotiates and manages the data transmitted by the communication device that is permitted to participate, the transmission / reception unit that transmits and receives data communicated in the network, and the data received by the transmission / reception unit, When the monitoring unit recognizes whether there is data out of the management of the local station in the network and the monitoring unit recognizes that there is data out of the management of the local station, it becomes out of the management Generating a correction instruction packet for instructing the communication device that is transmitting data to correct a transmission operation for data that is out of management; Characterized in that it comprises a correction instruction packet notifying unit for transmitting via the transceiver, a.

  In such a communication management apparatus, the data transmitted by the communication apparatus that is not permitted to participate in the network in the monitoring unit may be data that is not managed by the local station. At this time, for example, in the IEEE802.11e standard and the IEEE802.11n standard, when data from the communication device that is not permitted to participate in the network (BSS) is confirmed by an ASSOCIATION process, the data is out of management. Data.

  In the monitoring unit, among data transmitted from the communication device permitted to participate in the network, data that is not permitted to be transmitted within the network is data that is not managed by the own station. It does n’t matter what you do. At this time, for example, when data that has not been negotiated by the ADDTS process in the IEEE802.11e standard and the IEEE802.11n standard is confirmed, the data is determined to be out of management.

  In addition, the monitoring unit may set the data for which the negotiation with the communication device permitted to participate in the network is invalid as data out of the management of the own station. At this time, for example, in the IEEE802.11e standard and the IEEE802.11n standard, when data removed from the ADDTS management state by the DELTS process is confirmed, the data is regarded as unmanaged data.

  Further, in the monitoring unit, the data transmitted by the transmission parameter that is out of the range of the transmission parameter negotiated with the communication device permitted to participate in the network is out of the management of the own station. It does not matter if the data is as follows. At this time, for example, in the IEEE802.11e standard and the IEEE802.11n standard, when data transmitted outside the range of the transmission parameter set by the ADDTS process is confirmed, the data is regarded as data that is not managed. The transmission parameter is a maximum data rate representing an upper limit value of a data rate at the time of transmission from the communication device, and is transmitted at a data rate exceeding the maximum data rate in the network in the monitoring unit. The data that is outside the management of the local station may be used.

  The monitoring unit measures a congestion level of data communicated over the network, and a congestion level measurement unit that measures the congestion level of data communicated over the network based on management information for data managed by the local station. The network congestion degree prediction unit to be predicted, the actual congestion degree information measured by the network congestion degree measurement unit, and the predicted congestion degree information predicted by the network congestion degree prediction unit are compared with each other in the network. A determination unit that determines whether or not there is data that is not managed, and transmits data that is not managed by the local station when the determination unit determines that there is data that is not managed by the local station. An estimation unit that estimates the communication device and notifies the correction instruction packet notification unit of the estimated communication device.

  At this time, in the estimation unit, the communication device that allows participation in the network but does not negotiate the data to be transmitted, transmits the data that is not managed by the local station. It does not matter if it is estimated. That is, for example, in the IEEE802.11e standard and the IEEE802.11n standard, the communication device that is permitted to participate in the network by the ASSOCIATION processing but does not perform the ADDTS processing, transmits data that is not managed by the local station. It is estimated that the communication device is performing.

  Further, the correction instruction packet may be intended for the communication device that transmits the data that is not managed and detected by the monitoring unit, and may be an instruction to leave the network. At this time, for example, in the IEEE802.11e standard and the IEEE802.11n standard, a DEAUTHENTICATION process is performed on the target communication device.

  Further, the correction instruction packet may be intended for data outside the management detected by the monitoring unit, and may only instruct to stop the transmission. At this time, for example, in the IEEE802.11e standard and the IEEE802.11n standard, a DELTS process is performed on the communication device that is the transmission source of the target data.

  Further, the correction instruction packet may change a parameter that restricts transmission of the data that is not managed and detected by the monitoring unit, and may restrict transmission of the data. At this time, the transmission of the data by the correction instruction packet may be restricted in stages.

  Further, the monitoring unit analyzes the identifier of the data received from the transmission / reception unit, identifies the data, and monitors whether the identified data is out of the management of the own station It does not matter as a thing provided with.

  At this time, the data monitoring unit confirms the communication device that is the transmission source of the data based on the identifier of the data received from the transmission / reception unit, and confirms that the communication device is not permitted to participate in the network. Then, the correction instruction packet notifying unit generates the correction instruction packet for requesting to leave the network, and transmits the correction instruction packet to the communication device confirmed by the data monitoring unit from the transmission / reception unit.

  Further, the data monitoring unit may confirm that the data that has not been negotiated is transmitted and the communication device that is the transmission source of the data based on the identifier of the data received from the transmission / reception unit. Alternatively, the data monitoring unit identifies a communication device that transmits the data from the identifier of the data received from the transmission / reception unit, and the transmission parameter of the identified data is outside the range of the transmission parameter managed by the local station. It does not matter if it is confirmed.

  Further, the monitoring unit corrects the transmission operation based on the correction instruction packet for data that is confirmed to be out-of-management data and is given a transmission operation correction instruction by the correction instruction packet. If it is confirmed that the correction instruction packet is not transmitted, the correction instruction packet having the same content generated by the correction instruction packet notification unit may be transmitted again from the transmission / reception unit. The correction instruction packet that causes the communication device that has been given a connection to leave the network may be generated by the correction instruction packet notification unit and transmitted from the transmission / reception unit.

  Further, the display unit may display that the communication apparatus that has already given the correction instruction of the transmission operation by the correction instruction packet is out of order, and further, the transmission operation has already been performed by the correction instruction packet. When the data transmitted from the communication device to which the correction instruction is given is received by the transmission / reception unit, a data discarding unit that discards all the received data may be provided.

  In each of the communication management devices described above, the access control method by the communication device participating in the network may be a distributed control access control method.

  The communication system of the present invention is a network in which a plurality of communication devices participate, and one of the communication devices manages data communication between the communication devices participating in the network as a communication management device. Thus, the communication device serving as the communication management device includes any one of the above-described communication management devices.

  The communication management method of the present invention sets whether or not to participate in the network for a plurality of communication devices performing data communication in the network, and transmits the communication device permitted to participate in the network. In the communication management method for negotiating and managing data, there is a first step of receiving data communicated in the network, and whether there is unmanaged data in the network based on the received data A second step for confirming whether or not the data out of the management is present in the network, and the communication device transmitting the data out of the management is out of the management And a third step of generating and transmitting a correction instruction packet for instructing correction of the transmission operation for the data to be And butterflies.

In such a communication management method, the second step analyzes the identifier of the data received in the first step and identifies the data, and the data identified in the fourth step is the management A fifth step of monitoring whether the data is outside;
It does not matter even if it has.

  At this time, in the fourth step, the communication device that is the transmission source of the data is confirmed from the identifier of the data, and in the fifth step, the communication device that is the transmission source confirmed in the fourth step is When it is determined that participation in the network is not permitted, in the third step, the correction instruction packet for requesting to leave the network is generated, and the communication that is the transmission source confirmed in the fourth step It may be transmitted to the apparatus.

  In the fifth step, when it is confirmed that the data specified in the fourth step is not negotiated, in the third step, it becomes a transmission source of the data specified in the fourth step. The correction instruction packet that instructs the communication apparatus to stop the transmission of the data may be generated and transmitted.

  In the fifth step, when it is confirmed that the transmission parameter of the data specified in the fourth step is outside the range of the transmission parameter being managed, the identification in the fourth step is performed in the third step. The correction instruction packet that instructs to stop the transmission of the data may be generated and transmitted to the communication device that is the transmission source of the data.

  In each of the communication management methods described above, the second step includes a sixth step of measuring a congestion degree of data communicated on the network and a seventh step of predicting a congestion degree of data communicated on the network. And the actual congestion degree information measured in the sixth step and the predicted congestion degree information predicted in the seventh step to determine whether or not there is unmanaged data in the network. An eighth step, and a ninth step of estimating the communication device that is transmitting the data that is not managed when it is determined that there is data that is not managed in the eighth step, In the third step, the correction instruction packet may be transmitted to the communication device estimated in the ninth step.

  At this time, in the ninth step, the communication device that allows participation in the network but does not negotiate the data to be transmitted is connected to the communication device that transmits the data that is not managed. It may be estimated.

  Also, the communication management program of the present invention sets whether or not to participate in the network for a plurality of communication devices performing data communication in the network, and is transmitted by the communication device permitted to participate in the network. A communication management program for negotiating and managing data to be performed, and realizing a functional operation by any one of the communication management methods described above

  According to the present invention, in a network managed by the communication management apparatus, an instruction for correcting the data transmission operation is issued from the communication management apparatus to the communication apparatus that is transmitting data that is not managed by the communication management apparatus. Made. As a result, transmission of data that is not managed can be performed in accordance with the management conditions of the communication management device, and data communication that hinders data communication managed in the network managed by the communication management device Can be stopped. Therefore, the data communication operation managed in the network managed by the communication management apparatus can be normally performed.

  Further, the transmission operation of unmanaged data that hinders other data communication in the network can be corrected by the correction instruction packet for correcting the data transmission operation. Therefore, the transmission operation is corrected without forcibly stopping the communication apparatus that has received the correction instruction packet, so that a request for data transmission in the network can be made again to the communication management apparatus. The transmission operation can be restored. In addition, in the communication apparatus that has been performing the data transmission under the management separately from the data transmission outside the management, the data transmission under the management can be continuously performed.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. First, each configuration and operation common to the following embodiments will be described. In the following, an embodiment of the present invention will be described by taking a wireless communication system using a wireless LAN according to the IEEE 802.11e standard and the IEEE 802.11n standard as an example. It is possible to do.

(Configuration of wireless communication system)
A configuration of a wireless communication system that is common to the following embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless communication system.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a BSS (Basic Service Set) 1 is configured as a network group capable of data communication. In the configured BSS 1, one QAP 2 that manages each data communicated in the BSS 1 and a plurality of QSTAs 3 that are permitted to perform data communication by the QAP 2 participate in the communication. The communication transmission line 201 that transmits data from QSTA 3 to QAP 2 is called “uplink”, and the communication transmission line 202 that transmits data from QAP 2 to QSTA 3 is called “downlink”. A communication transmission path 203 that transmits data from one QSTA 3 to another QSTA 3 is referred to as a “direct link”.

(Data communication operation in wireless communication system)
Processing operations in the uplink 201 or the direct link 203 in such a wireless communication system will be described with reference to FIG. 2 or FIG. In addition, since it is outside the category in the present invention, details of data communication using the downlink 202 as a communication transmission path are omitted in the present embodiment. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing a part of a sequence until data communication is performed in the EDCA access control method using a transmission priority (priority) that requires ADDTS processing. 2 is a diagram showing a sequence in the case of the uplink 201, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a sequence in the case of the direct link 203. However, in FIG.2 and FIG.3, only the sequence which concerns on each embodiment of this invention is shown in figure. FIG. 2 shows an example in which QSTA3 serving as a transmitting station is built in a DVD player and QAP2 serving as a receiving station is built in a television. Further, FIG. 3 shows an example in which QSTA3 serving as a transmitting station is built in a DVD player and QSTA3 serving as a receiving station is built in a television.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in order to perform data communication in the EDCA access control method using the transmission priority (priority) that requires ADDTS processing by the uplink 201 and the direct link 203, first, QSTA3 that transmits data needs to be authenticated to participate in BSS1 managed by QAP2 (ASSOCIATION process). Then, it is necessary to perform processing for placing the data (stream) transmitted by QSTA3 under the ADDTS management of QAP2 (ADDTS processing). Note that the data to be subjected to the ADDTS processing is data communicated by one or more transmission operations such as one moving image content or one data file.

  When ASSOCIATION processing and ADDTS processing described later are performed, QSTA3 that transmits data (stream) under ADDTS management waits until the channel becomes free according to the EDCA access control method, and detects a free channel. Then, the transmission right is acquired, and transmission of data (stream) is started. In other words, in the example of FIG. 2 using uplink 201 transmission, when the QSTA 3 serving as the transmitting station acquires the transmission right, the moving picture stream of the DVD player serving as data under ADDTS management is transmitted to the QAP 2 serving as the receiving station. Then, on a television provided with QAP2 serving as a receiving station, video and audio based on a moving picture stream of a DVD player equipped with QSTA3 serving as a transmitting station are reproduced and output.

  In the example of FIG. 3 using the direct link 203 transmission, when the QSTA 3 serving as the transmission station acquires the transmission right, the moving picture stream of the DVD player serving as data under ADDTS management is transmitted to the QSTA 3 serving as the reception station. Then, on a television provided with QSTA 3 serving as a receiving station, video and audio based on a moving picture stream of a DVD player equipped with QSTA 3 serving as a transmitting station are reproduced and output.

"ASSOCIATION processing"
Hereinafter, the ASSOCIATION process will be briefly described. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, when QSTA3 participates in BSS1 formed by QAP2, if a request for participation in BSS1 is issued by an upper layer (user layer, application layer, etc.) within QSTA3, QSTA3 Starts ASSOCIATION processing for QAP2. At this time, first, an ASSOCIATION request frame is transmitted from QSTA3 to QAP2, so that QAP2 that has received this ASSOCIATION request frame confirms QSTA3 that is requesting participation in BSS1.

  When QAP2 grants permission to QSTA3 requesting to participate in BSS1, QAP2 transmits an ASSOCIATION response frame including a result of permission to participate in BSS1 to QSTA3. When QSTA3 receives the ASSOCIATION response frame transmitted from QAP2, it recognizes that participation in BSS1 is permitted. In addition, QAP2 manages QSTA3 permitted to participate in BSS1 by managing the MAC address of QSTA3 and the like.

"ADDTS processing"
Hereinafter, the ADDTS process will be briefly described. When QSTA3 uses a transmission priority that requires ADDTS processing at the time of data (stream) transmission, an instruction for setting the data to be transmitted to be in the ADDTS management state by QAP2 is in the upper layer (user layer, application layer, etc.) , The ADDTS process from QSTA3 to QAP2 is started. This ADDTS process must be performed for each data (stream) to be transmitted. At this time, first, an ADDTS request frame is transmitted from QSTA 3 to QAP 2, whereby QAP 2 confirms data for which the ADDTS management state is requested and QSTA 3 that transmits this data.

  When the QAP2 permits the data requested by the QSTA3 to enter the ADDTS management state, the ADDTS response frame including the result of permission of the ADDTS request (permission to the ADDTS management state) is transmitted to the QSTA3. . When QSTA3 receives the ADDTS response frame transmitted from QAP2, QSTA3 recognizes that the data to be transmitted is in the ADDTS management state by QAP2. QAP2 manages various types of information related to data in the ADDTS management state. Specifically, TID (Traffic IDentifier) of data to be transmitted, communication transmission path (Link), information related to communication quality negotiated in ADDTS processing (for example, “access control method”, “frame size range”) ("Allowable delay time", "Average data rate", "Maximum data rate") and the like.

  When the QSTA 3 serving as the transmitting station confirms that the data to be transmitted is in the ADDTS management state in this way, in the example of FIG. 2, data transmission to the QAP 2 serving as the receiving station is performed. In the example of FIG. The data transmission process to QSTA3 is started. That is, in accordance with the EDCA access control method, every time QSTA 3 serving as a transmitting station detects a free channel and acquires a transmission right, in the example of FIG. 2, in response to QAP 2 serving as a receiving station, or in the example of FIG. The data in the ADDTS management state is transmitted to the QSTA 3 serving as the receiving station within the negotiated frame size range.

  As described above, in the case of the EDCA method using the transmission priority (priority) that requires the ADDTS process, after the ADDTS process is permitted by the QAP2 and the QoS is secured (ADDTS management state), the QSTA3 Transmission right acquisition processing can be performed. In the EDCA method, QSTA 3 needs to acquire a transmission right by performing a data transmission right acquisition process by detecting a vacant channel at the time of every data transmission. In the case of the EDCA method using the transmission priority that does not require the ADDTS processing, the QSTA 3 does not need to perform the ADDTS processing after being authenticated by the ASSOCIATION processing, and performs the data transmission right acquisition processing at every data transmission. If the transmission right is acquired, the data is transmitted.

  Further, the transmission priority is defined in eight stages from “0” to “7” in the IEEE 802.11e standard and the IEEE 802.11n standard. Then, according to the transmission priority, the waiting time of QSTA 3 until the empty channel is detected is set. That is, the higher the transmission priority, the shorter the waiting time is set. For example, in the case of real-time data such as a video stream, a high priority is required, and the waiting time is set to be short.

  In the above description, in the case of the uplink 201 in FIG. 2 or the direct link 203 in FIG. 3, the example in which the wireless communication devices QAP2 and QSTA3 are built in the DVD player or the TV is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various AV playback devices, AV recording devices, and AV display devices in which QAP2 or QSTA3 is built can also be applied. The PC expansion board may be equipped with a function block that becomes QAP2 or QSTA3, and a wireless communication device having the function of QAP2 or QSTA3 is connected to various AV playback devices, AV recording devices, AVs via a wired cable. It may be connected to a display device. Further, the relationship between the QAP2 or QSTA3 and each AV device can be applied to each embodiment described later.

  In this way, when QSTA3 participating in BSS1 performs data communication using uplink 201 or direct link 203, when data in the ADDTS management state is removed from the ADDTS management state, DELTS processing is performed by QAP2. . Further, when canceling the participation of QSTA3 participating in BSS1 managed by QAP2, DEAUTHENTICATION processing by QAP2 is performed. The DELTS processing and DEAUTHENTICATION processing will be briefly described below.

"DEAUTHENTICATION processing"
First, the DEAUTHENTICATION process will be briefly described. The DEAUTHENTICATION process is a process for removing QSTA3 participating in BSS1 formed by QAP2. At this time, QAP2 deletes the management information regarding the participation state (ASSOCIATION state) in BSS1 related to QSTA3 to be withdrawn. Then, a DEAUTHENTICATION frame including the reason for leaving is transmitted to the QSTA 3 to leave. The QSTA 3 that has received this DEAUTHENTICATION frame confirms that it is instructed to leave the BSS 1 and leaves the BSS 1.

"DELTS processing"
Next, the DELTS process will be briefly described. The DELTS process is a process for canceling the permission of the ADDTS management state with respect to the data that is permitted by the QAP 2 to be in the ADDTS management state by the ADDTS process. At this time, QAP2 deletes various types of information (TID (Traffic IDentifier), communication transmission path (Link), information related to communication quality negotiated in ADDTS processing, etc.) related to data for releasing the ADDTS management state. Then, a DELTS frame including the reason for canceling is transmitted to QSTA 3 that transmits data for canceling ADDTS management information. The QSTA 3 that has received the DELTS frame confirms the data that is released from the ADDTS management state, and stops the transmission of the data that is released.

  Further, since QSTA 3 transmits an ACK frame for the received DELTS frame, QAP 2 confirms that the DELTS processing is successful by receiving this ACK frame. Conversely, when QAP2 does not receive an ACK frame from QPSK3, it recognizes that DELTS processing has failed. In the IEEE802.11e standard and the IEEE802.11n standard, the timeout of the DELTS process is not defined. Therefore, when the number of retransmissions of the DELTS frame reaches the upper limit, the MAC (Media Access Control) layer inside the QAP2 fails. Become.

  In QAP2, it is conceivable that DELTS processing is repeatedly performed again by the upper layer in response to a communication connection failure in the MAC layer. However, considering the time when the power of the QSTA 3 is turned off and the QSTA 2 is no longer in the BSS 1 managed by the QAP 2, for example, the time limit (timeout) for performing the DELTS process and the number of times of performing the DELTS process are limited. It is preferable. When setting such time and frequency limits, when QAP2 confirms that the limit value has been reached, various information on the data in the ADDTS management state targeted for DELTS processing is stored in the memory 102 described later. It will be deleted from the storage of the management table.

  Each embodiment of the wireless communication system having the same configuration and processing operation as described above will be described below. In the following embodiments, the configuration and operation of the QAP, which is a feature of the present invention, will be mainly described.

<First Embodiment>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a communication management apparatus that operates as a QAP in the wireless communication system according to the present embodiment.

  In the wireless communication system of the present embodiment, a wireless communication device 100 that is a communication management device that operates as a QAP 2 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 that controls the entire device, various programs, and the like, as shown in FIG. And a memory 102 that can be directly accessed by the CPU 101 as a main storage device, a transmission data buffer 103 that temporarily stores data to be transmitted to another external wireless communication device, and another external wireless communication device Received data buffer 104 that temporarily stores data received from the wireless communication controller 105, a wireless communication control unit 105 that performs control processing in the IEEE 802.11e standard and the IEEE 802.11n standard, and data that monitors data transmitted by other wireless communication devices Modulates data to be transmitted to the monitoring unit 108 and other wireless communication devices Both the modem unit 109 that demodulates data transmitted from other wireless communication devices, the antenna 110 that transmits and receives data, the display unit 111 that displays the operating state and notifies the outside, and the data of each block And a system bus 112 for performing exchanges.

  In the wireless communication apparatus 100 configured as described above, the system bus 112 is provided, so that the CPU 101 and the memory 102 and the blocks such as the wireless communication control unit 105, the data monitoring unit 108, and the modem unit 109 are connected. Data is exchanged. In the memory 102, there is recorded a management table in which management information related to QSTA3 permitted to participate in the BSS1 by the ASSOCIATION process and management information related to data in the ADDTS management state are recorded by the ADDTS process.

  A wireless communication control unit 105 is provided between the modulation / demodulation unit 109 connected to the antenna 110, the transmission data buffer 103, and the reception data buffer 104. Thereby, the data received by the antenna 110 and demodulated by the modem unit 109 is given to the reception data buffer 104. Conversely, after the data given from the outside to the transmission data buffer 103 is modulated by the modem unit 109, It is transmitted from the antenna 110. The wireless communication control unit 105 includes a packet discard unit 106 that discards received unnecessary data, and a correction instruction packet notification unit 107 that generates each frame data when performing DEAUTHENTICATION processing or DELTS processing. Although not shown, the wireless communication control unit 105 is also provided with a block for generating each frame data when performing an ASSOCIATION process or an ADDTS process.

  In the wireless communication apparatus 100, the CPU 101 controls each operation of the wireless communication control unit 105 by performing processing such as data input / output and command execution while accessing the memory 102 via the system buffer 112. In addition, the monitoring state can be confirmed by the data monitoring unit 108. By the control operation of the CPU 101, the wireless communication apparatus 100 can perform an operation according to a flowchart shown in FIG.

(Transmission / reception operation)
When data is transmitted through the downlink 202, the wireless communication control unit 105 is instructed by the CPU 101 to perform a transmission operation of data input from the outside. At this time, data input from the outside is given to the transmission data buffer 103 and temporarily stored. When the data stored in the transmission data buffer 103 is read out by the wireless communication control unit 105, it is encoded into frame format data according to the IEEE 802.11e standard or the IEEE 802.11n standard, and is provided to the modulation / demodulation unit 109. After the data encoded by the wireless communication control unit 105 is modulated by the modulation / demodulation unit 109, the data is transmitted from the antenna 110 to the QSTA 3 serving as a transmission destination (receiving station). The frame format according to the IEEE 802.11e standard or the IEEE 802.11n standard will be described later.

  Further, in a period other than the transmission period of the own station, the CPU 101 becomes QSTA3 in order to check channel availability, receive data by the uplink 201, and monitor data communicated in the BSS1. It is instructed to receive data transmitted from the wireless communication device. At this time, when the data received by the antenna 110 is demodulated by the modem unit 109 and then given to the wireless communication control unit 105, the data contents are analyzed based on the IEEE802.11e standard or the IEEE802.11n standard. Is decrypted.

  When data using the uplink 201 as a transmission path is received, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the wireless communication device 100 is configured to be connected to a television, and the wireless communication control unit 105 When the decoded data is video data or audio data given to an external television, it is given to the reception data buffer 104 and temporarily stored, and then transmitted to the outside. If the decoded data is an ADDTS request frame or an ASSOCIATION request frame, the ADDTS process or the ASSOCIATION process is performed, and an ADDTS response frame or an ASSOCIATION response frame is generated and modulated by the modem unit 109. Then, it transmits from the antenna 110. The data transmitted through the uplink 201 is given to the data monitoring unit 108 to perform a monitoring operation to be described later.

  Further, when data using the direct link 203 as a transmission path is received, data monitoring by the data monitoring unit 108 described later is performed in the same manner as data received by the uplink 201. In the wireless communication control unit 105, the data demodulated by the modem unit 109 is given to the packet discard unit 106, so that the data transmitted through the direct link 203 is discarded.

(Operation of the monitoring unit)
The data monitoring unit 108 analyzes each data demodulated by the modem unit 109 after being received by the antenna 110 during a period other than the transmission period of the own station, so that each data participates in the BSS1 formed by the own station by the ASSOCIATION process. Whether or not the data is from the QSTA 3 that is permitted to perform, or whether or not the data is permitted to enter the ADDTS management state. At this time, the management table stored in the memory 102 is read by the data monitoring unit 108 via the system bus 112, and by referring to this management table, permission that the received data has not obtained the above permission Whether the data is outside or not is confirmed. If it is confirmed that the data is not permitted, the modification instruction packet notification unit 107 in the wireless communication control unit 105 is notified that the non-permitted data has been received.

  Further, the data monitoring unit 108 analyzes the data demodulated by the modem unit 109 and confirms whether or not the received data is data to be discarded by checking the QSTA 3 that has transmitted the data. When it is confirmed that the data to be discarded has been received, the packet discard unit 106 in the wireless communication control unit 105 is notified that the data to be discarded has been received. As a result, the received data from the specific QSTA 3 is discarded by the packet discard unit 106.

  Further, when the data monitoring unit 108 confirms that the non-permitted data or the data to be discarded has been received, the contents are also notified to the display unit 111. As a result, the display unit 111 displays the notification content from the data monitoring unit 108. At this time, when a reception report of non-permitted data is received from the data monitoring unit 108, a display indicating that the QSTA 3 that has transmitted the non-permitted data is out of order is displayed to the user.

(Data frame format)
Next, a frame format of data transmitted / received to / from QSTA 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a frame format in the IEEE 802.11e standard and the IEEE 802.11n standard. As shown in FIG. 5, data transmitted / received between the wireless communication device 100 serving as the QAP2 and the QSTA3 includes a Frame_Control field 501 for identifying the frame type, an Address1 field 502 indicating the MAC address of the transmission destination, Address 2 field 503 indicating the MAC address of the transmission source, QoS_Control field 504 indicating various control information at the time of data transmission including the TID of the frame, and Frame_Body field 505 serving as the frame body.

  In addition to these fields, a Duration / ID field, a Sequence_Control field, an HT_Control field, an FCS (Frame_Check_Sequence) field, and the like are provided, but the detailed description thereof is omitted because it is not a monitoring target in the data monitoring unit 108. To do.

  In data in such a frame format, the Frame_Control field 501 includes subfields of Type 511 and Subtype 512 as a part thereof. The type of frame is indicated by the contents of Type 511 and Subtype 512. That is, it is possible to confirm whether it is an ACK frame, a POLL frame, or data such as a stream according to the contents of the Subtype 512.

  The Frame_Control field 501 includes subfields such as Protocol_Version, To_DS, From_DS, More_Fragments, Retry, Power_Management, More_Data, WEP, Order, etc. in addition to the subfields described above, but is not the monitoring unit 108 of the data monitoring unit 108. Detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The QoS_Control field 504 includes a TID 541 subfield for identifying data communicated in the BSS 1 as a part of the QoS_Control field 504. In addition, when QSTA3 transmits data, the QoS_Control field 504 includes subfields such as 0 or 1 in addition to the above-described subfields, Ack_Policy, Reserved, TXOP_Duration_Requested / Queue_Size, etc., but the data monitoring unit Since it is not a monitoring target at 108, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

(Monitored field)
When data in which a frame field is set as shown in FIG. 5 is given to the data monitoring unit 108, a field to be monitored (monitoring target field) is analyzed, and wireless communication that operates as QAP2 according to the contents of the monitoring target field In the BSS 1 managed by the device 100, it is confirmed whether or not the data is normally communicated.

  That is, in the frame field shown in FIG. 5, some subfields Type 511 and Subtype 512 in the Frame_Control field 501, the Address1 field 502, the Address2 field 503, and some subfields TID 541 in the QoS_Control field 504 are stored as data. It is a monitoring target by the monitoring unit 108. Therefore, when the data demodulated by the modulation / demodulation unit 109 is given, the data monitoring unit 108 confirms each of the above-described fields and subfields to be monitored.

  At this time, the destination MAC address is confirmed in the Address 1 field 502, and the source MAC address is confirmed in the Address 2 field 503. As a result, the QSTA 3 serving as the transmission source of the received data is confirmed, and the QSTA 3 or QAP 2 (own station) serving as the transmission destination is confirmed. At this time, if the transmission destination is another QSTA 3 from the transmission source, it is confirmed that the data is transmitted by the direct link 203. If the transmission destination is QAP 2 serving as the local station, the transmission is performed by the uplink 201. Data is confirmed.

  Further, by confirming the Type 511 and the Subtype 512 in the Frame_Control field 501, it is confirmed that the data (QoS_Data) is a stream or the like. That is, when the data format combined by Type 511 and Subtype 512 is “(b3, b2), (b7, b6, b5, b4)”, Type 511 and Subtype 512 are “(1, 0), (1, 0, 0”. , 0) "is detected, it is confirmed that the data is (QoS_Data).

  Further, by confirming the TID 541 in the QoS_Control field 504, it is possible to identify which data transmitted from the QSTA 3 confirmed in the Address 2 field 503 is the data demodulated by the modem unit 109. The TID 541 is composed of a 4-bit code. In each QSTA 3, eight types of TIDs 541 of 8 to 15 are assigned to each data. Therefore, when referring to the management table in the memory 102, it is possible to identify which data is the data by identifying the QSTA 3 as the transmission source from the above-described Address 2 field and confirming the TID 541.

  In this specification, since the wireless communication system according to the IEEE802.11e standard and the IEEE802.11n standard is taken as an example, data in the frame format shown in FIG. Different frame formats may be used as long as the data can be monitored. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, a transmission source field 601 indicating the transmission source (corresponding to the Address 2 field 503 in FIG. 5) and a type determination field 602 indicating the type of data (types 511 and Subtype 512 which are subfields in FIG. 5). 5), a data identification field 603 for identifying each data (corresponding to the Address 1 field 502, the Address 2 field 503, and the subfield TID 541 in FIG. 5), and a main body field 604 (FIG. 5). Frame_Body field 505).

(Management table)
An overview of the management table in the memory 102 referred to in the data monitoring unit 108 will be described with reference to an example shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, for convenience of explanation, only items referred to in the data monitoring unit 108 are shown as items stored in the management table, but other items related to data in the ADDTS management state are stored. It doesn't matter.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the management table in the memory 102 stores the QSTA 3 authenticated to participate in the BSS 1 by the ASSOCIATION process, and transmits the transmission for each QSTA 3 permitted to participate in the BSS 1. Data to be managed. Therefore, for example, when the QSTAs 3a to 3c are allowed to participate in the BSS1 managed by the wireless communication device 100 serving as the QAP2, each communication device such as the MAC address of the QSTAs 3a to 3c is stored in the management table in the memory 102. Is stored, the QSTA 3 permitted to participate in the BSS 1 is managed. In FIG. 7, the codes are simply stored as QSTAs 3a to 3c, but actually, codes for identifying the QSTAs 3a to 3c are stored.

  For the data transmitted by each QSTA 3 that is permitted to participate in the BSS 1, information regarding the data that is in the ADDTS management state by the ADDTS process is managed in the management table of FIG. 7. That is, for example, when the data da to dc among the data da to de to be transmitted is in the ADDTS management state with respect to the QSTA 3a, information related to the data da to dc is recorded in the management table as shown in FIG. Is done. Similarly, in the management table shown in FIG. 7, for QSTA 3b, information on data df and dg in the ADDTS management state is stored, and for QSTA 3b, information on data dj to dm in the ADDTS management state is stored. , Respectively.

  As information recorded in the management table, the TID of each data, the MAC address of the communication device as the transmission destination, the transmission path (uplink 201 or direct link 203) used for communication, and the data transmission right are acquired. Standby time, transmission interval time (IFS: Inter Frame Spacing), transmission priority, length of time that can be transmitted in one transmission, allowable delay time, average data rate, maximum data rate, and the like are stored. In FIG. 7, only the data in the ADDTS management state transmitted by the QSTAs 3 a to 3 c that are permitted to participate in the BSS 1 is shown. Both are recorded.

(Data monitoring operation in BSS)
Further, a monitoring operation of data communicated in the BSS 1 managed by the wireless communication apparatus 100 operating as the QAP 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. That is, in the following, in data communication using the uplink 201 and the direct link 203, the wireless communication apparatus 100 operating as QAP2 monitors data communication that is not managed by the ASSOCIATION process or the ADDTS process. Details of the operation of the wireless communication apparatus 100 at this time will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when wireless communication apparatus 100 operating as QAP2 enters a state in which BSS1 managed by the local station is formed, monitoring operation of data transmitted in BSS1 is started (STEP 801). Thereafter, it is confirmed whether or not data is transmitted from another wireless communication device during a period (standby time) when the transmission right of the local station is not acquired (STEP 802). That is, when data transmitted from another wireless communication device serving as the QSTA 3 is received by the antenna 110, the modem unit 109 detects the received power. As a result, the CPU 101 can check the presence / absence of received data via the modem unit 109 and the system bus 112.

  When the reception of data transmitted from another wireless communication device is confirmed in STEP 802 (Yes), the data demodulated by the modem unit 109 is analyzed by the data monitoring unit 108, and the QSTA 3 permitted to participate in the BSS 1 It is confirmed whether or not there is (STEP 803). At this time, the data monitoring unit 108 confirms the MAC address from the Address2 field 503 of the received data, and identifies QSTA3. Then, referring to the management table in the memory 102, it is confirmed whether the QSTA 3 that has performed the ASSOCIATION processing is stored in the management table in the memory 102 and managed.

  In this confirmation operation, when information regarding the identified QSTA 3 is not stored in the management table in the memory 102 and it is recognized that participation in the BSS 1 is not permitted (No in STEP 803), the wireless communication control unit 105 is notified of DEAUTHENTICATION. An instruction is given to perform processing, and DEAUTHENTICATION processing is performed (STEP 804).

  That is, in the data monitoring unit 108, the QSTA 3 that is transmitting the received data is performing data transmission even though it has not participated in the BSS 1 formed by the QAP 201. The wireless communication control unit 105 is notified of this fact. Therefore, in radio communication control section 105, correction instruction packet notification section 107 creates a DEAUTHENTICATION frame corresponding to the above-described frame format and provides it to modulation / demodulation section 109. Then, after the modulation / demodulation unit 109 modulates the DEAUTHENTICATION frame, it is transmitted from the antenna 110 to the QSTA 3 confirmed in STEP 803. Thereafter, the process proceeds to STEP 801 and monitoring of data communicated in the BSS 1 is continued.

  The DEAUTHENTICATION frame will be briefly described below. The DEAUTHENTICATION frame generated by the correction instruction packet notification unit 107 is composed of the MAC address of QSTA3 confirmed in STEP 803 in the Address1 field 502, and the MAC address of the own station in the Address2 field 503. In addition, in order to indicate that it is a DEAUTHENTICATION frame to QSTA3, a combination “(b3, b2), (b7, b6, b5, b4)” of “Type 511” and “Subtype 512” in the Frame_Control 501 field is changed to “(0, 0), (1, 1, 0, 0) ". Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the Frame_Body field 505 includes only a subfield Reason_Code 901 indicating the reason why the DEAUTHENTICATION processing is performed.

  Further, when it is confirmed that the information related to QSTA3 specified in STEP 803 is stored in the management table in the memory 102 (Yes in STEP 803), the data monitoring unit 108 checks whether it is managed in the ADDTS management state. (STEP805). At this time, the MAC address of the transmission destination and the transmission source is confirmed from the Address 1 field 502 and the Address 2 field 503 of the received data, and it is confirmed which of the uplink 201 and the direct link 203 is used as a data transmission path. . Information relating to the data transmission path is referred to as “link information”. Further, the QSTA 3 serving as the transmission source is specified in the Address 2 field 503, and data is specified by the TID 541 in the QoS_Control field 504. Then, referring to the management table in the memory 102, whether or not the link information confirmed as described above, the data specified by the transmission source QSTA 3 and the TID 541 is managed in the ADDTS management state. It is confirmed. As a result, it is confirmed whether or not the received data is EDCA data that manages information of ADDTS processing in the local station.

  At this time, if information is not stored in the management table in the memory 102 and it is confirmed that the data is not in the ADDTS management state (No in STEP 805), the wireless communication control unit 105 is instructed to perform DELTS processing, DELTS processing is performed (STEP 806). That is, in the data monitoring unit 108, the QSTA 3 is performing data transmission even though it does not negotiate parameters related to packet transmission by the ADDTS process with its own station operating as the QAP 2. Assuming that unauthorized data transmission is being performed, the correction instruction packet notification unit 107 is notified of this.

  Therefore, in the radio communication control unit 105, the correction instruction packet notification unit 107 creates a DELTS frame corresponding to the above-described frame format and supplies the DELTS frame to the modulation / demodulation unit 109. Then, after the DELTS frame is modulated by the modem unit 109, it is transmitted from the antenna 110 to the QSTA 3 confirmed in STEP 803. Thereafter, the process proceeds to STEP 801 and monitoring of data communicated in the BSS 1 is continued.

  The DELTS frame will be briefly described below. In the correction instruction packet notification unit 107, the Address 1 field 502 is configured with the MAC address of the QSTA 3 confirmed in STEP 803, and the Address 2 field 503 is configured with the MAC address of the own station. In addition, in order to indicate that it is an Action frame (DELTS frame) to QSTA3, a combination “(b3, b2), (b7, b6, b5, b4)” of Type 511 and Subtype 512 in the Frame_Control 501 field is set to “(0, 0)”. , (1, 1, 0, 1) ”.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the Frame_Body field 505 of the DELTS frame includes subfields of Category 1001, Action 1002, TSInfo 1003, and Reason_Code 1004. In the Frame_Body field 505 configured as described above, the values of the Category 1001 and the Action 1002 are 1 and 2, respectively, and a combination of these values indicates a DELTS frame. The TSInfo 1003 includes information indicating data to be subjected to DELTS processing, and a detailed configuration thereof will be described later. Furthermore, Reason_Code 1004 includes a reason for performing DELTS processing on QSTA3.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the TSInfo 1003 that is the subfield described above further includes a TSID 1101 that indicates the TID of the data to be processed by the DELTS process, and Direction 1102 that is a transmission path (link information) of the data to be processed by the DELTS process. That is, the modification instruction packet notification unit 107 sets the TSID 1101 value to the same value as the TID 541 confirmed in STEP 805 for the TSInfo 1003 in the Frame_Body field 505, and sets the Direction 1102 value to a value indicating the link information confirmed in STEP 805. To do.

  In addition, TSInfo1003 includes Traffic_Type, Access_Policy, Aggregation, APSD, User_Priority, TSInfo_Ack_Policy, Schedule, and Reserved as subfields, but these values are not used in DELTS processing because they are not used in DELTS processing. It does not matter.

  If it is confirmed from the analysis result of STEP 805 that the received data information is stored in the management table in the memory 102 and is in the ADDTS management state (YES in STEP 805), the data monitoring unit 108 The data rate of the received data is calculated (STEP 807). Specifically, for example, the reception time and the data amount are stored every time it is received, and the reception time and the data amount stored when the same data is previously received by the transmission source QSTA 3 and TID 541 and the current reception The data rate of the received data may be calculated based on the received time and data amount.

  Then, the data monitoring unit 108 refers to the management table in the memory 102 to determine whether or not the data rate detected in STEP 807 is equal to or lower than the maximum data rate assigned to the data confirmed by the analysis result in STEP 805. Confirm (STEP 808). At this time, if it is confirmed that the detected data rate is larger than the maximum data rate (No in STEP 808), it is considered that data transmission is performed within the range permitted by the ADDTS management, and a message indicating this is sent. 107, and the DELTS process in STEP 807 is performed. That is, it is determined that the QSTA 3 that is transmitting the received data is performing data transmission using a parameter value different from the parameter value negotiated with the QAP 2 (local station) by the ADDTS process, DELTS processing is performed on existing data.

  If the data rate detected in STEP 808 is equal to or lower than the maximum data rate (YES in STEP 808), the data monitoring unit 108 calculates the transmission interval time for the received data (STEP 809). Specifically, for example, the reception time is stored every time it is received, and based on the reception time stored when the same data was previously received by the transmission source QSTA 3 and TID 541 and the reception time received this time The transmission interval time of the received data may be calculated.

  Then, the data monitoring unit 108 refers to the management table in the memory 102 to determine whether or not the transmission interval time detected in STEP 809 is equal to or greater than the transmission interval time assigned to the data confirmed by the analysis result in STEP 805. Is confirmed (STEP 810). At this time, if it is confirmed that the detected transmission interval time is shorter than the set transmission interval time (No in STEP 810), it is assumed that data transmission is performed in a range that is permitted by ADDTS management, as in STEP 808, This is notified to the correction instruction packet notification unit 107, and the DELTS process in STEP806 is performed. When the detected transmission interval time is equal to or longer than the set transmission interval time (YES in STEP 810), it is considered that data transmission within the ADDTS management range is normally performed, and the process proceeds to STEP 801, where BSS1 Continue to monitor data communicated within.

  Thus, whether the data communicated in the BSS 1 by the data monitoring unit 108 is data transmitted from the QSTA 3 permitted to participate in the BSS 1, data that is ADDTS-managed, and the ADDTS management range. It is confirmed whether the data is being transmitted. If the transmission is from QSTA 3 that is not permitted to participate in BSS 1, the DEAUTHENTICATION process is performed, and if the data is not in the ADDTS management state, or the transmission process exceeds the ADDTS management range. In the case, DELTS processing is performed.

  Therefore, the wireless communication device 100 serving as the communication management device (QAP2) can instruct the other wireless communication device (QSTA3) performing unauthorized transmission to modify the data transmission operation. As a result, depending on the content of the frame created by the correction instruction packet notification unit 107, the wireless communication apparatus instructed to correct the data transmission operation exchanges control signals with other stations to recover from the failure. Can take.

  In particular, in the communication system based on the IEEE802.11e standard and the IEEE802.11n standard, the data communication of the QSTA3 in which the information management of the ASSOCIATION process or the ADDTS process is not performed can be monitored by the QAP2. When data communication that is not permitted is found, only data communication that is not permitted can be appropriately stopped by DELTS processing. In addition, when QSTA3 in which parameter negotiation relating to data transmission in the ADDTS management state is invalidated from QAP2 is performing data transmission, it is possible to notify this QSTA3 of an instruction to modify the data transmission operation.

  When performing the monitoring operation according to the flowchart of FIG. 8, it is necessary to monitor the data for a certain period of time in order to obtain a highly accurate value for the data rate detected in STEP 807 and the transmission interval time detected in STEP 809. There is. Therefore, it is preferable to execute STEP 807 to STEP 810 after a certain time has elapsed and the data monitoring unit 108 has acquired a highly accurate data rate and transmission interval time.

  In addition, when DEAUTHENTICATION processing in STEP 804 or DELTS processing in STEP 806 is performed, QSTA 3 already processed and data transmitted by QSTA 3 are stored in the memory 102 and further monitored by the data monitoring unit 108. It does n’t matter.

  At this time, when it is detected that the transmission of data targeted for DEAUTHENTICATION processing or DELTS processing has not been stopped, the packet discarding unit 106 may discard all of the targeted data. A DEAUTHENTICATION frame or a DELTS frame may be transmitted to perform a DEAUTHENTICATION process or a DELTS process. Further, the display unit 111 may display to the user that the QSTA 3 is out of order.

  Further, when the DELTS processing in STEP 806 is performed, the data targeted for the DELTS processing is stored in the memory 102 and further monitored by the data monitoring unit 108, and the data targeted for the DELTS processing is transmitted. When it is detected that the packet is not stopped, the correction instruction packet notification unit 107 may generate a DEAUTHENTICATION frame and notify the target QSTA 3.

  Further, although the EDCA method is used as the access control method in the BSS 1 managed by the wireless communication apparatus 100 as the QAP 2 in the present embodiment, the HCCA method may be used. The HEMM method may be mixed with the EDCA method. That is, in any case, when transmission data from the QSTA 3 for which the ASSOCIATION processing is not performed is detected, the DEAUTHENTICATION processing is performed. In addition, when data that has not been subjected to ADDTS processing or data that is out of the permitted range is detected, DELTS processing or DEAUTHENTICATION processing is performed.

<Second Embodiment>
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a communication management apparatus that operates as a QAP in the wireless communication system according to the present embodiment. Further, in the configuration shown in FIG. 11, parts used for the same purpose as those in the configuration shown in FIG. Further, the frame format of data transmitted / received in the wireless communication system and the transmission / reception operation of the wireless communication apparatus in this embodiment are the same as those described in the first embodiment.

  The wireless communication device 100a operating as the QAP2 in the wireless communication system of the present embodiment monitors data in the BSS1 managed by the local station, like the wireless communication device 100 (see FIG. 4) of the first embodiment. Instead, it is configured to monitor the degree of data congestion in the BSS 1 managed by the local station. That is, the wireless communication device 100a shown in FIG. 11 determines with the network congestion degree measurement unit 121 in order to monitor the congestion degree of data in the BSS 1 instead of the data monitoring unit 108 in the wireless communication device 100 of FIG. Unit 122, network congestion degree prediction unit 123, and estimation unit 124.

  The following will describe portions of the wireless communication device 100a shown in FIG. 11 that are different from the wireless communication device 100. First, every time data is received by the antenna 110, the network congestion degree measurement unit 121 receives data reception information indicating that data has been received. For example, CCA (Clear Channel Assessment) information used for confirming communication congestion may be used as data reception information indicating that this data has been received. Then, by measuring the number of times the data reception information is received per predetermined unit time, the congestion level of the BSS 1 managed by the own station is measured, and the information as the measurement result is used as the actual congestion level information to the determination unit 122. Notice.

  Further, the network congestion degree prediction unit 123 reads the management table stored in the memory 102 via the system bus 112, thereby confirming information regarding the data in the ADDTS management state in the BSS1. In this way, by confirming information related to the data in the ADDTS management state managed by the local station, the degree of congestion per predetermined unit time in the BSS1 managed by the local station is predicted, and information on the prediction result is predicted as congestion. The determination unit 122 is notified as the degree information.

  Further, as described above, the determination unit 122 is notified of the actual congestion level information and the predicted congestion level information from the network congestion level measurement unit 121 and the network congestion level prediction unit 123, respectively. The notified actual congestion level information and the predicted congestion level information are compared, and it is confirmed whether or not the congestion level based on the actual congestion level information exceeds the predicted congestion level information. When it is confirmed that the congestion level based on the actual congestion level information exceeds the predicted congestion level information, it is determined that the data communicated in the BSS 1 managed by the local station is more crowded than the management information. Then, this is notified to the estimation unit 124.

  Further, when the estimation unit 124 is notified by the determination unit 122 that the data communicated in the BSS 1 is more crowded than the management information, the estimation unit 124 reads the management table stored in the memory 102 via the system bus 112. As a result, information regarding QSTA 3 participating in BSS 1 is confirmed. At this time, an ASSOCIATION process is performed, and a search is made for a QSTA 3 that has been permitted to participate in the BSS 1 managed by the local station and for which the ADDTS process has not been performed. When the QSTA 3 that has not been subjected to ADDTS processing is detected, it is estimated that the detected QSTA 3 is transmitting data that is not in the ADDTS management state, and that is indicated in the correction instruction packet notification unit 107 in the wireless communication control unit 105. Notify

  In the BSS1 in which the wireless communication device 100a configured as described above operates as the QAP2, the EDCA method may be used as the access control method, or the HEMM method in which the EDCA method and the HCCA method are mixed is used. It does n’t matter. When the EDCA method is used, the data congestion level is always monitored. When the HEMM method is used, the data congestion level is monitored during the period allocated to the EDCA method.

(Congestion level monitoring operation in BSS)
Furthermore, the monitoring operation of the degree of congestion of data communicated in the BSS1 managed by the wireless communication device 100a operating as the QAP2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. That is, in the following, in the data communication using the uplink 201 and the direct link 203, the radio communication device 100a operating as the QAP2 is in a period when the access control method using the EDCA method is performed, and the degree of data congestion in the BSS1 Monitor for. Details of the operation of the wireless communication apparatus 100a at this time will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the radio communication apparatus 100a operating as the QAP2 starts a monitoring operation of data transmitted in the BSS1 when the BSS1 managed by the local station is formed (STEP 1201). Then, it is confirmed by the CPU 101 whether or not the EDCA method is permitted as an access control method (STEP 1202). At this time, when it is confirmed that the EDCA method is permitted as the access control method (Yes in STEP 1202), the network congestion degree measuring unit 121 is notified to that effect, and the degree of data congestion in the BSS1 is determined. It is measured (STEP 1203). That is, the network congestion level measurement unit 121 detects the reception of data at the antenna 110, measures the reception frequency per unit time, and acquires the actual congestion level information of the BSS1 based on the measurement result.

  Further, the network congestion degree prediction unit 123 predicts the congestion degree per unit time from the information regarding the EDCA method data set in the ADDTS management state in the BSS 1 managed by the own station, and as a result, the predicted congestion degree of the network Information is acquired (STEP 1204). At this time, for example, by referring to the management table in the memory 102, the predicted congestion degree information may be calculated by checking the average data rate of the EDCA data in the ADDTS management state. . That is, a total average data rate obtained by summing the average data rates of all the EDCA-type data managed in the ADDTS state may be calculated, and the total average data rate may be used as the predicted congestion degree information.

  Thereafter, the actual congestion level information acquired in STEP 1203 is notified from the network congestion level measurement unit 121 to the determination unit 122, and the predicted congestion level information acquired in STEP 1204 is notified from the network congestion level prediction unit 123 to the determination unit 122. Then, the actual congestion degree information and the predicted congestion degree information are compared to confirm whether or not the congestion is present (STEP 1205). That is, the determination unit 122 compares the notified actual congestion level information with the predicted congestion level information, and confirms whether the congestion level based on the actual congestion level information is higher than the predicted congestion level information. .

  At this time, if it is confirmed that the actual congestion level information is lower than the predicted congestion level information (No in STEP 1205), the data communication within the BSS1 managed by the own station is congested. If it is determined that there is no data, the process proceeds to STEP 1201 to continue monitoring the degree of congestion of data communicated in the BSS1.

  If it is confirmed that the actual congestion level information is higher than the predicted congestion level information (Yes in STEP 1205), the data communication in the BSS1 managed by the local station is congested. It judges that it is a thing, and notifies that to the estimation part 124. The estimation unit 124 searches for the QSTA 3 that is permitted to participate in the BSS 1 but has not performed the ADDTS process, and the QSTA 3 having no transmission data in the ADDTS management state participates in the BSS 1 managed by the local station. It is confirmed whether or not (STEP 1206). At this time, the estimation unit 124 refers to the management table in the memory 102 via the serial bus 112, and confirms QSTA3 permitted to participate in the BSS1 by the ASSOCIATION process. Then, among the QSTAs 3 permitted to participate in the BSS 1, the QSTA 3 without transmission data in which the information is managed in the ADDTS management state and managed in the management table is searched.

  If all the QSTAs 3 participating in the BSS 1 managed by the local station are performing ADDTS processing on the data to be transmitted (No in STEP 1206), the QSTA 3 that is permitted to participate in the BSS 1 managed by the local station It is determined that data communication is not congested by the data to be transmitted, and the process proceeds to STEP 1201 to continue monitoring the degree of congestion of data communicated in the BSS1.

  Also, when it is confirmed that QSTA 3 without transmission data to be in the ADDTS management state is permitted to participate in BSS 1 managed by the local station (Yes in STEP 1206), the DEAUENTICATION process is performed on the wireless communication control unit 105. (STEP 1207). That is, it is estimated that the data transmission by the QSTA 3 that has confirmed that the ADDTS processing is not performed in the estimation unit 124 is a cause of congestion in the data communication in the BSS 1. Therefore, in the wireless communication control unit 105 notified to that effect, the correction instruction packet notification unit 107 causes the QSTA 3 that is not transmitting data to be in the ADDTS management state to leave the BSS 1 managed by the local station. The DEAUTHENTICATION process is performed. Thereafter, the process proceeds to STEP 1201 to continue monitoring the congestion degree of data communicated in the BSS1.

  When the DEAUTHENTICATION process is performed in STEP 1207, the correction instruction packet notification unit 107 generates a DEAUTHENTICATION frame. That is, the MAC address of QSTA 3 confirmed by the estimation unit 124 is read from the management table of the memory 102 and set as the value of the Address 1 field 502, and the MAC address of the own station is set as the value of the Address 2 field 502. In addition, in order to indicate that it is a DEAUTHENTICATION frame to QSTA3, a combination “(b3, b2), (b7, b6, b5, b4)” of Type 511 and Subtype 512 in the Frame_Control 501 field is changed to “(0, 0), (1, 1, 0, 0) ".

  By operating in this way, the data monitoring unit 108 of the wireless communication apparatus 100 (see FIG. 4) in the first embodiment is mounted, and the data in the BSS1 is analyzed without analyzing the data communicated in the BSS1. The communication congestion degree is confirmed, and a search is made for a QSTA 3 that is not transmitting data in an ADDTS management state. Accordingly, it is possible to estimate the QSTA 3 that is not transmitting data in the ADDTS management state as the QSTA 3 that is transmitting data that hinders communication within the BSS 1. Therefore, the data transmitted in the BSS 1 can be monitored by a simpler method than the monitoring method of the first embodiment.

  Note that when monitoring the degree of data communication congestion in the BSS 1 as described above, the actual congestion degree information measured by the network congestion degree measurement unit 121 is detected when the antenna 110 receives data for a certain period of time. Can be a highly accurate value. Therefore, when performing the monitoring operation according to the flowchart of FIG. 12, it is preferable that the measurement operation for a certain period of time by the network congestion degree measurement unit 121 is performed in STEP 1203. In this way, in STEP 1205, the determination unit 122 can determine the congestion level in the BSS 1 based on the high-accuracy actual congestion level information, and can also increase the accuracy of the determination result. .

  Also in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, as in the first embodiment, the data monitoring unit 108 may be provided, and the data in the BSS 1 managed by the own station may be monitored. Absent. At this time, the data monitoring operation using the data monitoring unit 108 is performed according to the flowchart of FIG. 8, and the data using the network congestion degree measuring unit 121, the determining unit 122, the network congestion degree predicting unit 123, and the estimating unit 124. The monitoring operation is performed according to the flowchart of FIG.

  Accordingly, when the data monitoring unit 108 detects QSTA3 that is not permitted to participate in the BSS1 or QSTA3 that is transmitting data that is not in the ADDTS management state, the estimation unit 124 has a high degree of congestion in the BSS1. , QSTA3 participating in BSS1 but not performing ADDTS processing is detected. At this time, the monitoring operation according to the flowchart of FIG. 8 by the data monitoring unit 108 is also monitored for data for which the access control method is the HCCA method.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, when the data monitoring unit 108 is provided, the monitoring operation according to the flowcharts of FIGS. 8 and 12 may be performed as described above, but in the flowchart of FIG. When the estimation unit 124 does not detect the QSTA 3 that participates in the BSS 1 but does not perform the ADDTS process (No in STEP 1206), the monitoring operation according to the flowchart of FIG. 8 may be performed.

  That is, in the BSS1 managed by the local station, when it is confirmed that the data is more crowded than the predicted value based on the data in the ADDTS management state, first, the QSTA3 that has not performed the ADDTS processing is searched. (STEP 1206). When it is confirmed that all QSTAs 3 participating in the BSS 1 are performing ADDTS processing (No in STEP 1206), the QSTA 3 that is not permitted to participate in the BSS 1 is not in an ADDTS management state according to the flowchart of FIG. QSTA3 that transmits data is detected. Note that only the monitoring operation according to the flowchart of FIG. 8 by the data monitoring unit 108 may be performed during a period in which data in which the access control method is the HCCA method is transmitted.

  As described above, the wireless communication device according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention is a QAP that is a communication management device in the IEEE802.11e standard and the IEEE802.11n standard, and in the operation range of the QAP. Although the embodiment has been described, the communication management apparatus of the present invention is not limited to this QAP, and can be applied to other general communication methods when operating as a communication management apparatus. The contents of the present invention can be applied not only to wireless communication but also to wired communication such as PLC (Power Line Communication).

  That is, for example, instead of the notification of the DEAUTHENTICATION frame in STEP 804 in FIG. 8 or STEP 1207 in FIG. 12 and the notification of the DELTS frame in STEP 806 in FIG. 8, notification of a leave instruction packet from the network managed by the communication management device In addition, it is also applicable to other general communication methods by notifying the data transmission stop instruction packet. In addition, correction instructions for these data transmission operations may be issued step by step. That is, a correction instruction packet including correction contents to be instructed to a wireless communication apparatus participating in a network managed by the communication management apparatus is notified in a plurality of times, and the target data transmission operation is stepwise. You may make it notify so that it may correct.

  By operating in this way, a communication device that has received a modification instruction packet from a communication management device places restrictions on data transmission such as a timeout value or the number of retransmissions in an IP (Internet Protocol) implementation block. It is possible to change parameters in stages. In other words, by changing the parameters in stages, the transmission operation can be limited in stages. As in each of the above-described embodiments, a DEAUTHENTICATION frame, a DELTS frame, or the like is transmitted, and an instruction to stop data transmission is given. Compared with the case where it was done, it becomes possible to reduce the influence on the other blocks in the own apparatus.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the function of performing the data monitoring operation that is characteristic of each embodiment has been described as being provided in the wireless communication devices 100 and 100a that are communication management devices. Software that realizes a function of performing a monitoring operation of characteristic data may be read from a storage medium (main storage or external storage) in which the program code is recorded. At this time, the computer performs each monitoring operation as a communication management device by executing the program code of the software.

  For example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, and a nonvolatile memory card can be used as a storage medium for supplying the program code of the software. The program code of the software may be downloaded from another computer system to a storage medium or the like via a transmission medium such as a communication network.

  The above-described program code of software is executed by a computer that operates as a communication management device, so that the functions in the above-described embodiments are realized, and the program code is operated on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the OS (operating system) or the like performing part or all of the actual processing and realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments by the processing.

  The program code of the above-described software read from the storage medium may be written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into a computer operating as a communication management apparatus or a function expansion unit connected thereto. At this time, based on the instruction of the program code written in the memory, the CPU of the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing. Will be.

  The present invention is not limited to wired or wireless, and can be applied to a communication system in which one of the communication devices manages data communication in a network constituted by a plurality of communication devices as a communication management device. Further, this communication system can be applied to a communication system in which a management request for each data represented by ADDTS processing is performed from a communication apparatus in the network to the communication management apparatus. An example of such a communication system is a wireless LAN standardized by the IEEE 802.11 standard, but is not limited thereto, and may be a wired network.

These are block diagrams which show the structure of the radio | wireless communications system of this invention. FIG. 1 is a timing chart showing data communication operation by uplink in the wireless communication system. FIG. 1 is a timing chart showing a data communication operation by a direct link in the wireless communication system. These are block diagrams which show the internal structure of the communication management apparatus which operate | moves as QAP in the radio | wireless communications system of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a frame format according to the IEEE 802.11e standard and the IEEE 802.11n standard. These are figures which show schematic structure of the frame format in this invention. These are figures which show the structure of the management table recorded in memory. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a data monitoring operation by the wireless communication apparatus of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a Frame_Body field of a DEAUTHENTICATION frame. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a Frame_Body field of a DELTS frame. These are block diagrams which show the internal structure of the communication management apparatus which operate | moves as QAP in the radio | wireless communications system of 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a data monitoring operation by the wireless communication apparatus of FIG. 11. These are block diagrams which show the structure of the radio | wireless communication apparatus provided with the monitoring operation | movement of 1st and 2nd embodiment as a function.

Explanation of symbols

1 BSS
2 QAP
3 QSTA
100 wireless communication device 101 CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 102 Memory 103 Transmission data buffer 104 Reception data buffer 105 Wireless communication control part 106 Packet discard part 107 Correction instruction packet notification part 108 Data monitoring part 109 Modulation / demodulation part 110 Antenna 111 Display part 112 System bus 121 Network congestion degree measurement part 122 Judgment part 123 Network congestion degree prediction unit 124 estimation unit

Claims (23)

Manages whether or not a plurality of communication devices performing data communication within a network managed by the own station can participate in the network, and negotiates data transmitted by the communication device permitted to participate in the network. In the communication management device to manage,
A transceiver for transmitting and receiving data communicated in the network;
A monitoring unit for confirming whether or not there is data out of the management of the own station in the network based on the data received by the transceiver unit;
When the monitoring unit recognizes that there is data that is not managed by the local station, the transmission device corrects the transmission operation for the data that is not managed, to the communication device that is transmitting the data that is not managed. A modification instruction packet notifying unit for generating a modification instruction packet for instructing and transmitting via the transceiver unit;
A communication management device comprising:   The communication management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit sets data transmitted by the communication apparatus that is not permitted to participate in the network as data that is not managed by the local station.   In the monitoring unit, out of data transmitted from the communication device permitted to participate in the network, data that is not permitted to be transmitted within the network is determined to be out of management of the own station. The communication management apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein   The data in which negotiations with the communication device permitted to participate in the network are invalidated as data out of management of the own station in the monitoring unit. The communication management device according to claim 3.   In the monitoring unit, the data transmitted by the transmission parameter that is out of the range of the transmission parameter negotiated with the communication device permitted to participate in the network is the data that is not managed by the local station. The communication management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the communication management device is configured as follows. The transmission parameter is a maximum data rate representing an upper limit value of a data rate when transmitted from the communication device;
6. The communication management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein in the monitoring unit, data transmitted at a data rate exceeding the maximum data rate in the network is data out of management of the own station. The monitoring unit is
A network congestion degree measurement unit for measuring the degree of congestion of data communicated over the network;
A network congestion degree predicting unit that predicts the degree of congestion of data communicated in the network based on management information for data managed by the local station;
Whether the actual congestion degree information measured by the network congestion degree measurement unit and the predicted congestion degree information predicted by the network congestion degree prediction unit are present, and there is data out of the management of the own station in the network A determination unit for determining whether or not,
When the determination unit determines that there is data that is not managed by the local station, the communication unit that is transmitting data that is not managed by the local station is estimated, and the estimated communication apparatus is corrected. An estimation unit that notifies the instruction packet notification unit;
The communication management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:   The estimation unit estimates the communication device that is allowed to participate in the network but does not negotiate data to be transmitted as the communication device that is transmitting data that is not managed by the local station. The communication management apparatus according to claim 7.   The correction instruction packet is intended for the communication device that transmits the data that is not managed and detected by the monitoring unit, and instructs to leave the network. The communication management device according to claim 1.   The correction instruction packet is intended for the non-management data detected by the monitoring unit, and only instructs to stop the transmission. 9. The communication management device according to any one of 8.   The modification instruction packet changes a parameter for restricting transmission of data outside the management detected by the monitoring unit, and restricts transmission of the data. The communication management apparatus in any one of Claims 1-8.   The communication management apparatus according to claim 11, wherein transmission of the data by the correction instruction packet is restricted in a stepwise manner.   The monitoring unit includes a data monitoring unit that analyzes the identifier of data received from the transmission / reception unit, identifies the data, and monitors whether the identified data is out of the management of the own station. The communication management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein In the monitoring unit, the transmission operation based on the correction instruction packet is not corrected with respect to the data that is confirmed to be out-of-management data and the transmission instruction correction instruction is given by the correction instruction packet. When confirming that
14. The communication management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction instruction packet having the same content generated by the correction instruction packet notification unit is transmitted again from the transmission / reception unit. In the monitoring unit, the transmission operation based on the correction instruction packet is not corrected with respect to the data that is confirmed to be out-of-management data and the transmission instruction correction instruction is given by the correction instruction packet. When confirming that
The correction instruction packet notifying unit generates a correction instruction packet for leaving the communication apparatus that has already given a transmission operation correction instruction by the correction instruction packet from the network, and transmits the correction instruction packet from the transmission / reception unit. The communication management apparatus according to claim 1. A display unit that performs display for notifying an operation state of the communication device in the network;
In the monitoring unit, the transmission operation based on the correction instruction packet is not corrected with respect to the data that is confirmed to be out-of-management data and the transmission instruction correction instruction is given by the correction instruction packet. When confirming that
16. The display according to claim 1, wherein a display indicating that the communication apparatus that has already given a correction instruction for a transmission operation by the correction instruction packet has failed is displayed on the display unit. Communication management device. In the monitoring unit, the transmission operation based on the correction instruction packet is not corrected with respect to the data that is confirmed to be out-of-management data and the transmission instruction correction instruction is given by the correction instruction packet. When confirming that
A data discarding unit for discarding all received data when the transmission / reception unit receives data transmitted from the communication device that has already given a modification instruction for a transmission operation by the modification instruction packet. The communication management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16.   The communication management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein an access control method by the communication apparatus participating in the network is a distributed control type access control system. A communication management method for managing whether or not a plurality of communication devices performing data communication in a network can participate in the network and negotiating and managing data transmitted by the communication device permitted to participate in the network In
A first step of receiving data communicated within the network;
A second step of confirming whether there is unmanaged data in the network based on the received data;
When recognizing that data outside the management exists in the network, instructing the communication device that is transmitting the data outside the management to modify the transmission operation for the data outside the management A third step of generating and transmitting a correction instruction packet to be transmitted;
A communication management method characterized by comprising: The second step includes
A fourth step of analyzing the identifier of the data received in the first step to identify the data;
A fifth step of monitoring whether or not the data specified in the fourth step is out of the management;
The communication management method according to claim 19, further comprising: The second step includes
A sixth step of measuring the degree of congestion of data communicated over the network;
A seventh step of predicting the degree of congestion of data communicated over the network;
The actual congestion degree information measured in the sixth step and the predicted congestion degree information predicted in the seventh step are compared to determine whether or not there is unmanaged data in the network. Steps,
A ninth step of estimating the communication device that is transmitting data that is out of management when it is determined that there is data out of management in the eighth step;
Have
The communication management method according to claim 19 or 20, wherein, in the third step, the correction instruction packet is transmitted to the communication device estimated in the ninth step. A communication management unit that manages whether or not to participate in the network for a plurality of communication devices performing data communication in the network, and negotiates and manages data transmitted by the communication device permitted to participate in the network. A program,
A communication management program for realizing a functional operation by the communication management method according to any one of claims 19 to 21. In a network in which a plurality of communication devices participate, one of the communication devices is a communication system for managing data communication between the communication devices participating in the network as a communication management device,
The communication apparatus used as the said communication management apparatus is set as the structure in any one of Claims 1-19.

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